KIRKUS REVIEW

A history of the
danger-seeking young Winston Churchill during the Boer War, which “had turned
out to be far more difficult and more devastating than the amusing colonial war
the British had expected.”

Although Churchill’s life
has been amply documented by himself and many others, Millard (Destiny of
the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President,
2011, etc.) ably weaves a seamless and gripping narrative of the future
statesman’s early career and involvement in the Boer War (1899-1902). It is the
story of a man unfailingly convinced of his destiny to lead, undaunted by
setbacks, and supremely confident of success. “I do not believe the Gods would
create so potent a being as myself for so prosaic an ending,” Churchill wrote
to his mother from the bloody battlefield of Malakand. As the author demonstrates,
even as a child, Churchill shared his countrymen’s idea that war “was about
romance and gallantry.” “There is no ambition I cherish so keenly,” he said,
“as to gain a reputation for personal courage.” At 24, he passionately urged
Joseph Chamberlain to recover Britain’s prestige in South Africa by avenging a
humiliating defeat; in an electrifying speech, he whipped up fervor for war. In
October 1899, Churchill’s wish was realized: Britain was at war, and he was off
to battle, this time as a journalist. He meant to travel in comfort: along with
his personal valet, he brought wine, spirits, liqueur, and luxurious
accessories from London’s finest shops. Although he became dramatically
involved in the army’s travails, he, along with around 60 officers and soldiers,
was taken prisoner. For Churchill, it was a fate almost worse than death. “With
the loss of his freedom,” Millard writes, “he had, for the first time, also
lost his ferocious grip on life.” In vivid, entertaining detail, the author
chronicles Churchill’s audacious escape, which was reported in British
newspapers with pride and glee. As Millard concludes, he had proved himself
exemplary: “resilient, resourceful and, even in the face of extreme danger,
utterly unruffled.”

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